A theatre chair from Maskelyne’s Egyptian Hall theatre

Chairs like this one were used for the front rows in the theatre. Betty Davenport knows the story of how this chair, which is one of two, came to be part of the Davenport Collection. Mary Maskelyne, granddaughter of J.N. Maskelyne, in her later years worked in the wardrobe department of The Players theatre in Charing Cross, London. Mary gave the two chairs to Dominic Le Foe who ran The Players. Some while later Dominic was looking for a buyer for the chairs. Betty bought them and had them repaired and re-covered so that they looked as they would have done originally. They are impressive chairs, suitable for the wealthy audience members who could afford the high ticket price.